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EVGA Hadron Build, Need CPU/GPU Ideas!

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August 18, 2014 5:42:09 AM

I'm building a Mini-ITX sytem using the EVGA Hadron Case/EVGA Z97 MB/EVGA Mini ITX CPU Cooler/Samsung 840 Pro SSD & GSkill Sniper RAM. I was wondering what would you recomend for a CPU and GPU. This will be primarily a gaming machine that is replacing my laptop and eventually (Dec 2014) will be gaming on 4K. For a CPU i've been looking at the i5-4690K or i7-4790K. And the GPU i'm stuck between the 780 6GB or the 760/770 4GB. I know I will be utilizing more VRAM due to higher resolutions but another concern for me is heat. This is my first mini-itx build. Any help/suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

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a c 78 à CPUs
August 18, 2014 5:44:55 AM

The 780 6gb will be better for 4k I think, for cpu, if you only game, a i5 4690k will be just as good as a i7 in games
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August 18, 2014 5:50:06 AM

If you're going to game on a 4k monitor, you're gonna need more than a single 780 (The 6Gb won't help much either, the 780 Ti for example will perform better at 4k even though it has less ram.), and that won't be possible with an itx case.
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August 18, 2014 5:58:08 AM

Yeah solid 4K gaming isn't really an option at any price range at the moment, depending on the game of course.
You need a couple of high end cards or a dual-GPU solution like the Titan Z or R9 295X2 but even then they won't always play terribly well.

In general the i5 is always the way to go for gaming as it's better value. You can make a case for non-overclocking i5s, especially if you aren't going to be able to push the K-series very far due to cooling limitations.

If you are going for a Hadron Air remember that you are limited in which motherboards+coolers+graphics cards will be suitable. The motherboard+cooler you've picked should work fine but neither are very good value for money and even though it's a very nice small tower cooler, the performance isn't going to be amazing as it's small.
For graphics cards you definitely want a reference cooler, you'll find a bunch of threads on these forums of people with hadrons complaining of high graphics card temps due to the limited venting/airflow in this area. Reference cooler doesn't solve the problem entirely but it should stop hot air build up.
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August 18, 2014 6:36:10 AM

Rammy said:
Yeah solid 4K gaming isn't really an option at any price range at the moment, depending on the game of course.
You need a couple of high end cards or a dual-GPU solution like the Titan Z or R9 295X2 but even then they won't always play terribly well.

In general the i5 is always the way to go for gaming as it's better value. You can make a case for non-overclocking i5s, especially if you aren't going to be able to push the K-series very far due to cooling limitations.

If you are going for a Hadron Air remember that you are limited in which motherboards+coolers+graphics cards will be suitable. The motherboard+cooler you've picked should work fine but neither are very good value for money and even though it's a very nice small tower cooler, the performance isn't going to be amazing as it's small.
For graphics cards you definitely want a reference cooler, you'll find a bunch of threads on these forums of people with hadrons complaining of high graphics card temps due to the limited venting/airflow in this area. Reference cooler doesn't solve the problem entirely but it should stop hot air build up.


I mostly game @1080P and gaming at 4K on a Mini-ITX is still limited. The reason I was trying to get a GPU with 4+ GB of VRAM was due to highly modded Skyrim and Watch Dogs that was pushing 3+ GB of VRAM. I know this won't be as effiecient as my desktop (i7/r9 290x/antec 1200 case) but I wanted something close that is still portable but will also last me at least a few years. I suppose if I stick with a i5-4690K it'll stay cool and still perform well in games.
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August 18, 2014 6:37:50 AM

If you are playing at 1080p, a single 780 will be fine, but don;t expect to play at 4k with it.
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August 18, 2014 6:38:31 AM

Ytyoussef said:
If you're going to game on a 4k monitor, you're gonna need more than a single 780 (The 6Gb won't help much either, the 780 Ti for example will perform better at 4k even though it has less ram.), and that won't be possible with an itx case.


I kindof figured that a mini-itx probably wouldn't be able to pull off 4K but I was also looking at a 4+ GB card due to a heavily modded Skyrim and Watch Dogs.
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August 18, 2014 6:45:36 AM

Thanks for your help everyone! If anyone knows of a website like Tom's that has reviewed the EVGA 780 6gb please post.
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a b à CPUs
a c 170 B Homebuilt system
August 18, 2014 6:48:17 AM

I'd say the technology isn't really there yet, especially at ITX level as you can't run conventional SLI/Crossfire - though as I mentioned before there are some cases which you can definitely get an R9 295X2 in, and that would have a good go at it (there's a couple which might take a Titan Z, but triple expansion slot isn't at all common as it's fairly pointless).
Even at ATX level it's really cost prohibitive as you spend an incredible amount of money to get a system which can't really "max" anything high end.

Mods aren't really a great comparison when it comes to memory/GPU demands as they are generally poorly implemented/optimised. That's likely to be exaggerated further by Watchdogs performance issues. At 1080P 3Gb isn't likely to be an issue (even with mods) and a GTX780 is a pretty safe bet.
In any other case the elephant in the room would be the R9 290/290X, but I'd have some reservations about putting them in a Hadron Air unless you have a good way to cool them.
Also, you mention Dec 2014 in your OP, but it's a bit vague as to if this is when you are building or if this is a date for a 4K monitor or something. If you aren't in a rush then it might be worth holding out for the 800-series graphics cards which are on the horizon and rumoured to pack more Vram and use less power (both of those things seem near certain).
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a c 193 à CPUs
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August 18, 2014 6:48:51 AM

With a single 780 you probably won't be pulling of 60fps even at a mix of low and medium.

Honestly, don;t build a rig with intents of 4k gaming. It is too new and things will improve. ESPECIALLY don't build an mITX rig with hopes of 4K as no matter what, more than one GPU will be needed.
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August 18, 2014 6:51:52 AM

Rammy said:
I'd say the technology isn't really there yet, especially at ITX level as you can't run conventional SLI/Crossfire - though as I mentioned before there are some cases which you can definitely get an R9 295X2 in, and that would have a good go at it (there's a couple which might take a Titan Z, but triple expansion slot isn't at all common as it's fairly pointless).
Even at ATX level it's really cost prohibitive as you spend an incredible amount of money to get a system which can't really "max" anything high end.

Mods aren't really a great comparison when it comes to memory/GPU demands as they are generally poorly implemented/optimised. That's likely to be exaggerated further by Watchdogs performance issues. At 1080P 3Gb isn't likely to be an issue (even with mods) and a GTX780 is a pretty safe bet.
In any other case the elephant in the room would be the R9 290/290X, but I'd have some reservations about putting them in a Hadron Air unless you have a good way to cool them.
Also, you mention Dec 2014 in your OP, but it's a bit vague as to if this is when you are building or if this is a date for a 4K monitor or something. If you aren't in a rush then it might be worth holding out for the 800-series graphics cards which are on the horizon and rumoured to pack more Vram and use less power (both of those things seem near certain).


Yea I may wait for the 800 series to come out. There coming out in September-ish right? I wanted to build this system by the end of the month then get a 4K monitor by Dec 2014 (which to be honest I'll prob end up using it on my desktop).
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a c 193 à CPUs
a b B Homebuilt system
August 18, 2014 6:53:43 AM

Yep, thats the right answer. just build the desktop for 4k. Add another 290x and it will be a half decent 4k rig. Forget about trying it with the Hadron build.
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August 18, 2014 6:58:48 AM

My desktop will probably end up being my 4K gamer since I have multiple GPU's and and faster CPU.

-I7-4770k W/Zalman Cooler
-MSI MPOWER Z87
-GSkill Sniper 16gb @1866
-Antec 1200 Case
-XFX R9 290X (Crossfire)
-EVGA 850W
-Samsung 840 Pro 256gb
-WD Black 1 TB
-Samsung Disk Drive
-WIN 7 PRO
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a c 170 B Homebuilt system
August 18, 2014 7:00:18 AM

Aye, you can put together a 4K workstation, 4K HTPC or even a 4K gaming machine for less graphically taxing games (perhaps MMOs or something) but right now it's not really worth the hassle for high end gaming - you are better off looking at 1440P/1600P or fancy G-sync options for the immediate future.

As for reviews of 6Gb GTX780s, they do exist but because they are fairly pointless and benchmark more or less identically to 3Gb versions, it's pretty low interest.
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a c 78 à CPUs
August 18, 2014 7:00:25 AM

WildCard999 said:
My desktop will probably end up being my 4K gamer since I have multiple GPU's and and faster CPU.

-I7-4770k W/Zalman Cooler
-MSI MPOWER Z87
-GSkill Sniper 16gb @1866
-Antec 1200 Case
-XFX R9 290X (Crossfire)
-EVGA 850W
-Samsung 840 Pro 256gb
-WD Black 1 TB
-Samsung Disk Drive
-WIN 7 PRO


Maybe a bigger psu, not sure, but good build overall, I prefer 780 ti's for 4k but personal preference :)  Oh and maybe change to caviar blue instead of black
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August 18, 2014 7:03:12 AM

Rammy said:
Aye, you can put together a 4K workstation, 4K HTPC or even a 4K gaming machine for less graphically taxing games (perhaps MMOs or something) but right now it's not really worth the hassle for high end gaming - you are better off looking at 1440P/1600P or fancy G-sync options for the immediate future.

As for reviews of 6Gb GTX780s, they do exist but because they are fairly pointless and benchmark more or less identically to 3Gb versions, it's pretty low interest.


Yea I'll stick with 1080p for now. And as far as the 800 Series it can wait and evga has there step-up program if it seems like its worth upgrading. It's still going to be by far much faster then my aging Gateway FX lol.
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